Hope After Church Hurt

"Church hurt" is a cultural crisis that headlines news stories, fuels documentaries, and trends on social media. Millions of people have endured this unique pain, have disengaged to some measure, and are searching for a way to heal. Written for any believer wounded in a place of worship, and unsure how to move forward in their faith, this powerful book is an insightful and honest guide into the 9 unique types of church hurt and how to heal from them. Having helped thousands move from anger, distrust, apathy, and heartache to safely re-engaging in their faith--and local church--Pastor Joe Dobbins offers compassion, wisdom, and practical advice to help you · understand why church hurt is so potent and hard to address · break free from bad beliefs, self-defeating patterns, and cycles of pain · discover the way to inner healing and find hope to move forward · release your pain and reframe your story · re-engage in a faith community and protect yourself in the future Even though the people of God hurt you, the heart of God is to heal you--and that healing can begin today!

If you’ve been part of a church, you have probably suffered a “church hurt”—or know someone who has. Maybe the pastor had an affair or the congregation fought over money or the leaders were disguising gossip as “prayer.” Stephen Mansfield knows how it feels. Though he is now a New York Times bestselling author, he was a pastor for more than 20 years, and he loved it—until he learned how much a church can hurt. Yet he also learned how to dig out of that hurt, break through the bitterness and anger, stop making excuses, and get back to where he ought to be with God and his people. If you’re ready to choose the tough path to healing, Mansfield will walk you through it with brotherly love, showing you how you can be better than ever on the other side of this mess—if you’re willing to start Healing Your Church Hurt. Previously published as ReChurch.

Church should be a safe place, right? Then why do so many get hurt there? Ray Beeson and Chris Hayward combine their years of ministry experience to address head-on the elephant in the room: church members and church leaders hurt Christians. All the time. And the long-lasting effects—rejection, shame, despair, loneliness, fear—can be devastating. The authors have witnessed the rise of the “dones,” those who are just done with God thanks to scars from church. With first-person stories of hurt and loss, this book is a wake-up call for any who deny woundedness in the church but is also a redemptive message for any who hurt from church wounds. Leaders and laypeople alike will learn how to grieve over abuse, to leave unhealthy attitudes and patterns that cause pain, and to trust in God’s real, delivering work through churches that build up, not tear down. Thanks to the grace of God, there is always hope beyond the pain.

Learn to face pain and hurt with a biblical perspective and the hopeful expectation of peace and joy.

The body of Christ is full of people who have been wounded by Christians or the church. Author Dr. Angela Corprew-Boyd helps the hurting recognize they are not alone and provides them with wisdom and knowledge to reach out to Christ and receive deliverance from wounds that have made them bitter, resentful, and less effective in ministry. Church leaders and laypeople will benefit from Dr. Corprew-Boyd’s testimony and teaching. Once crippled by wounds inflicted by her pastor and trusted members of her church family, the author describes how she found healing and offers words of comfort and practical advice for readers grappling with their own church hurt. She emphasizes the importance of acknowledgement, reaching out to God, and, finally, forgiveness of others and oneself. Her message serves as a crucial reminder that there is hope for the future in spite of what our adversaries have said and done. Topics covered include the many possible sources of church hurt, how to recognize when a wound is still open, how woundedness can be transferred to church members, and the process of healing.

Can God be good when life is not? Rediscover faith in the character, power, and presence of God. Even in the questions. Even in the hurt. "I want to believe, I want to have hope, but . . ." Pastor and bestselling author Craig Groeschel hears these words often and has asked them himself. We want to know God, feel his presence, and trust that he hears our prayers, but in the midst of great pain, we may wonder if he really cares about us. Even when we have both hope and hurt, sometimes it's the hurt that shouts the loudest. In Hope in the Dark, Groeschel explores the story of the father who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus, saying, "I believe! Help my unbelief!" In the man's sincere plea, Jesus heard the tension in the man's battle-scarred heart. He healed not only the boy but the father too, driving out the hopelessness that had overtaken him. He can do the same for us today. As Groeschel shares his pain surrounding the health challenges of his daughter, he acknowledges the questions we may ask in our own deepest pain: "Where was God when I was being abused?" "Why was my child born with a disability?" "Why did the cancer come back?" "Why are all my friends married and I'm alone?" He invites us to wrestle with such questions as we ask God to honor our faith and heal our unbelief. Because in the middle of your profound pain, you long for authentic words of understanding and hope. You long to know that even in overwhelming reality, you can still believe that God is good. Hope in the Dark is also available in Spanish, Esperanza en la Oscuridad.

Previously published as: ReChurch: healing your way back to the people of God.

Life is Fragile. But Hope in Christ Lasts Forever. The Bible calls human life a vapor. A mist. A wisp of fog. A flower that springs up in the morning and fades away by mid-afternoon. We like to think we have years to pursue our goals, raise our families, and make a difference in the world. But we just don’t know. The fact is, our stay on earth is really very brief. And when a loved one unexpectedly steps out of this life into eternity, it shakes us to the core. We ask ourselves: Is heaven real? Will I see him will I see her again? Will we be together again? How can I know for sure? In Hope for Hurting Hearts, Pastor Greg Laurie shares candidly about his own heartbreak over the sudden departure of his son Christopher to heaven and offers comfort to bruised hearts and a hope that will sustain us through this life and beyond.

Thirty biblical meditations for women that offer hope in times of suffering. Thirty biblical meditations for women that offer hope in times of suffering. Hurt is real. But so is hope. Kristen and Sarah have walked through, and are walking in, difficult times. So these thirty biblical reflections are full of realism about the hurts of life-yet overwhelmingly full of hope about the God who gives life. This book will gently encourage and greatly help any woman who is struggling with suffering-whether physical, emotional or psychological, and whether for a season or for longer. It is a book to buy for yourself, or to buy for a member of your church or friend. For anyone who is hurting, this book will give hope, not just for life beyond the suffering, but for life in the suffering. Each chapter contains a biblical reflection, with questions and prayers, and a space for journaling.

Church hurt, or religions trauma are two ways to describe the abusive and oppressive practices upheld within some religious communities. After someone reacts to being hurt, their hurt is multiplied when they are criticized or ostracized for speaking up.In this book, Charlene R Feathers works to change the narrative around church hurt. Instead of pointing fingers, she affirms readers and helps them process their hurt, so they can heal from the pain and renew their hope.Her intention is not to get people back into church but to help people be restored to a thriving healing place where they know without a shadow of doubt that God loves them, and they are still His